Raphael Soyer and the Search for Modern Jewish Art

Samantha Baskind

Description

Artist Raphael Soyer (1899-1987), whose Russian Jewish family settled in Manhattan in 1912, was devoted to painting people in their everyday urban lives. He came to be known especially for his representations of city workers and the down-and-out, and for his portraits of himself and his friends. Although Soyer never identified himself as a "Jewish artist," Samantha Baskind, in the first full-length critical study of the artist, argues that his work was greatly influenced by his ethnicity and by the Jewish American immigrant experience.

Baskind examines the painter's art and life in the rich context of religious, cultural, political, and social conditions in the twentieth-century United States. By promoting an understanding of Soyer as a Jewish American artist, she addresses larger questions about the definition and study of modern Jewish art. Whereas previous scholars have defined Jewish art simply as art produced by people who were born Jewish, Baskind stresses the importance of an artist's cultural identity when defining ethnic art. As Baskind explains how Soyer negotiated his Jewish identity in changing ways over his lifetime, she offers new strategies for identifying and interpreting Jewish art in general. Her analysis of Soyer's work places the artist in a necessary context and provides a valuable new approach to the study of modern Jewish art.

Sujets

• Jewish identity
• Secular Jewish culture
• Art
• American

Informations

• Publié par: The University of North Carolina Press
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798890877680
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

Extrait

RAPHAEL SOYER and the Search for Modern Jewish Art

Raphael AND THE SEARCH

Soyer FOR MODERN JEWISH ART

Samantha Baskind

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS

Chapel Hill & London

© 2004 The University of North Carolina Press All rights reserved

Publication of this book was supported by generous grants from the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation and the Jewish Studies Publications Program of the Koret Foundation.

Set in Scotch and Eagle types by Tseng Information Systems, Inc. Manufactured in the United States of America

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Baskind, Samantha. Raphael Soyer and the search for modern Jewish art / by Samantha Baskind. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8078-2848-3 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Soyer, Raphael, 1899–1987. 2. Painters—United States— Biography. 3. Realism in art—United States. 4. Art, Jewish—United States. I. Title. ND237.S636 B37 2004 759.13—dc21 2003014543

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In memory of

Sanford Charles Aderson

(1915–1989),

my grandfather and first professor

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 A New York Painter 17 A Jewish Artist 53 Soyer or Walter Broe 79 Soyer behind the Scenes 110 A Creative Friendship 150 Conclusion, or Farewell to Raphael Soyer 194 Notes 201 Selected Bibliography 231 Index 247

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The researching and writing of this book would not have been possible without the assistance of many organizations and people. I was able to craft this project because of the excellent libraries to which I was per- mitted access, and because of their always helpful librarians. In par- ticular, I thank Ray Anne Lockard of the Frick Fine Arts Library at the University of Pittsburgh, the staff at the Archives of American Art, and the very tolerant interlibrary loan staff at James Madison Univer- sity. Financial assistance from the Terra Foundation for the Arts and American Council of Learned Societies, the Lucius N. Littauer Foun- dation, the Koret Jewish Studies Publications Program, and the Jew- ish Historical Society of New York supported the writing and publica- tion of the manuscript. Along the way, Helen Langa looked at various drafts and helped shape my thinking while also acting as a beacon as I entered the world of American art history. Yaakov Ariel has generously supported my academic endeavors and shared his enthusiasm and interest in the life of the American Jew. I thank Matthew Baigell and Frances Pohl for their close readings of the text and important suggestions. The final product is a better one for their careful consideration. My warmest ap- preciation goes to Mary Sheriff, under whose intellectual guidance and always gentle and inspired tutelage I grew during my years as a gradu- ate student. She taught me the art of mental gymnastics and the re- ward of looking more deeply. This book would not have been possible without her. I am grateful to Christine Poggi for introducing me to art history and to David Wilkins for his hospitality during my first year teach- ing at the university level. My editor, Elaine Maisner, enthusiastically saw this project through the many stages to publication. Ben Ader- son provided unofficial research assistance. Anne-Louise Marquis of the Hirshhorn Museum allowed me extra time with the Soyer works in storage. I am indebted to Maxine Schwartz, Haim Shaked, and Jeffrey Shoulson of the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contempo- rary Judaic Studies at the University of Miami for their support of my